Living and Training with Vizards
by Raven06
Summary: A bunch of ShinjixOC oneshot's inspired by a prompt list I stumbled across. Blanket rating.
1. 2 am

**2 a.m.** (644)

Tori had always hated scary movies. Why? Because they always resulted in the same thing: nightmares. Of course it had to be Hiyori's turn to pick out a movie to watch that week and, not surprisingly, she picked a horror film. None of the vizard's thought the movie was scary, they even commented on how fake the special effects were. None of that mattered to Tori. It had been scary enough.

Rolling onto her side she glared at the glowing alarm clock on the bedside table. 2 a.m. glared right back at her in bright red. _Screw it, _she thought as she threw the covers off of her. Running her hands through her boy-cut jet black hair, she made a beeline for the makeshift kitchen on the lower floor of the warehouse. Kensei had been kind enough to loan the young woman some of his spare clothes to sleep in when she did stay the night, which was becoming more and more common. The grey sweat pants hung off of her hips and were much too long in the leg but she didn't mind, even though she stumbled often when wearing them. The black t-shirt was too big as well but was incredibly soft.

The cement floor was cool on her feet as she padded down the stairs and into their kitchen. What the young woman really wanted-no _needed,_ was some tea. Tea always helped her to relax. Rummaging around in the small room she was relived to find that there was just enough loose tea leaves for one more cup. _Thank god, _she sighed.

"Boo!" a voice said from behind as the owner grabbed her sides. Tori screamed and the tea leaves went flying across the room as she whirled around and used the empty tin as a weapon, smacking her attacker in the head with it.

"OW!" a certain blond vizard yelled clutching the side of his head that had been assaulted. Normally the black haired woman would feel bad for hurting the older but she was _not_ in the mood.

"What the _hell _is your problem, Shinji?" she yelled, her ice blue eyes flashing angrily.

"_My_ problem?" the vizard exclaimed. "I'm not the one down here makin' tea at two in the fuckin' morning!"

"Well excuse me for having nightmares!" she snapped back as she slammed the tin back on the counter and glared at him. "And now, thanks to you, I'm not goingto get _any_ sleep tonight!"

"Nightmares?" Shinji said in surprise.

"Yes you idiot _nightmares_," the sleep deprived woman in front of him snapped back. "I tend to get them when horror movies are involved." The vizard's eyes widened slightly and Tori's face reddened when she realized what she'd just said. Quickly averting her gaze from his, she moved to clean up the spilt tea leaves.

"Hey," the blond said as he grabbed her by the wrist.

"Stop it Shinji," she said softly, still refusing to meet his gaze.

"Why'd ya watch that movie with us if ya knew it'd give ya nightmares?" he asked.

"Why do you care?" was her acidic response as she yanked her arm out of his grasp, her bright blue eyes meeting his warm brown ones defiantly.

"Because I care about ya," was his simple reply. The young woman was stunned into silence.

"Now, why'd ya watch that movie with us?" he asked once more, this time moving so he was close enough to her that she could feel the heat radiating from his body. Tori couldn't take it any more.

"BECAUSE I WANTED TO SPEND TIME WITH YOU, OKAY?" she blurted out angrily. The vizard was shocked by this answer. Though he recovered quickly and his signature grin spread across his face.

"Well why didn't ya just say so?" that said he grabbed her and he shunpo'ed them to his room.


	2. Metaphor

**M****etaphor **(358)

Tori sighed as she sat at the desk in her small apartment and stared at the English paper in front of her. _Who the hell makes you write an essay on metaphors? _the young woman thought angrily. The paper was due the next day and she had hit a wall. It was already late, almost midnight, and she was _tired_.

"Fuck this," she mumbled tossing her pencil onto the desk and rubbing her eyes tiredly.

"Slackin' off are ya?" the familiar voice of a certain blond vizard said, a smirk in his tone.

"Maybe I wouldn't be if you didn't insist on training me _every damn day_," Tori snapped as she picked up her papers and shoved them in her backpack angrily. Shinji frowned when he felt the young woman's reiatsu rise in irritation.

"Hey," the older said softly as he walked up to her from behind and placed his hands on her shoulders. "If ya wanna cut back on your trainin'-"

"No," was the black haired woman's reply. "You said so yourself that I need it, especially if I wanna be able to help you and the others." Shinji knew it would be pointless to argue with her at this point. So he sighed and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Ya really are a stubborn one aren't ya?" he said softly, a smile in his tone. The vizard couldn't see it but he knew she was smiling. Pulling her closer to him he rested his head on her shoudler and kissed the back of her neck playfully. He was surprised when she turned around and wrapped her arms around his waist, burying her face in his chest.

"Someone's affectionate tonight," he said backing up so his legs hit the edge of her bed and eased the two of them onto it.

"It's your fault," Tori said in a mock accusatory tone.

"Oh? And why's that?" he asked, his signature grin plastered across his face as he laid both of them down on her bed, conveniently positioning her so she was laying between his legs.

"You're the metaphor of my life."

"That doesn't make any sense."

"Exactly."


	3. Sky

**S****ky **(730)

Tori blocked another blow from the blond vizard in the air above her and tried get more space between the two of them, a feat easier said then done. Shinji was really laying it on her today and it was getting harder and harder for her to not go flying after each wave of his zanpakuto. Sure she had, what he called, 'vast spiritual pressure' but that didn't mean that she knew how to control it efficiently, hence the training.

"Damn it, Shinji, ease up, will you?" she yelled when she was thrown back by a shockwave from his katana.

"Why would I do that?" the vizard asked his signature grin on his face as he slung his sword over his shoudler lazily, still in the air. "Hachi tells me ye're doing great learnin' kiddo, so I figured I give ya a little test run." Tori's eye twitched.

"Yah, great at _learning it!_" she yelled as she chucked a rock at his head angrily, pleased with herself when it smashed into his face. "That doesn't mean I've had any practice using it when fighting!" The blond hissed in pain as he continued to clutch his bleeding nose and looked through his fingers. He couldn't help but smile slightly at the pissed off look in the young woman's bright blue eyes. Shinji had always loved her eyes, especially when she was mad. They reminded him of the sky right before a thunderstorm.

"Then I suggest ya learn fast," that said he lunged forward, his zanpakuto raised to strike. _Shit! _Tori thought panicking as she put both of her hands forward.

"Way of Binding #39 Enkosen!" No sooner had she said that a circular shield of condensed reitsu appeared in front of her, thus blocking Shinji's attack. This vizard's sword slammed into her shield, sending sparks flying. _Not bad, _he thought, his grin widening.

Tori thought that would satisfy him, but apparently she was wrong. Her bright blue eyes widened when Shinji pressed on her shield even more, causing it to bow inward. Cursing aloud she hoped the shield could hold for a few more seconds. The blond's eyes widened when he saw her put her right palm so it was level with him and brace her wrist with her left hand, he knew very well what was coming.

"Way of Destruction #88 **Hiryugekizokushintenraiho!" she yelled and a brilliant flash of blue lighting shot from her hand. **

**Shinji didn't have enough time to dodge so he had to put on his Hollow mask. It was only then that he was able to deflect most of the attack, but not all. Needless to say he was impressed, to think that she was already learning such advanced ki-. His thoughts were interrupted by Tori falling to her knees and gasping for air. Sprinting towards her, along with Hachi and Love, he felt that her reitsu had dropped to a dangerously low level and it was taking a toll on her inexperienced body.**

**Every part of the young woman felt like it was filled with lead and she felt like her body was being starved of oxygen despite how fast she was breathing. Feeling several reitsu approaching at a rapid pace she forced herself to stand and readied for another fight.**

**"Easy Tori," a muffled sounding voice said from beside her. "That's enough for today."**

**"Shin…ji," she mumbled right before her legs gave out from under her, but not before said blond wrapped an arm around her waist to keep her from falling.**

**"I got ya," he whispered in her ear as he cradled her against his chest protectively.**

**"Shinji," the young woman murmured. "Hurts." It was then that the blond saw that her right hand had several burn marks on it and multiple cuts.**

**"Don't worry, Hachi'll fix ya up," no sooner had he said that he sat the two of them down on the dirt covered ground and let the pink haired vizard work his magic. **

**It wasn't long before Tori's breathing evened out and her body relaxed. Shinji didn't take his brown eyes off of her half closed sky blue ones the entire time. Some people got lost staring into the sky above them, he got lost staring into the sky that was her eyes. To him they were by far the most beautiful, vast and perfect sky he would ever see.**


	4. Lost Scene

**Lost S****cene** (728)

Shinji sat on the musty couch and tapped his foot impatiently. He checked his watch for the hum-teenth time in the past five minutes only to have his frown deepen even more.

"She's late," the blond vizard said aloud as he folded his arms back across his chest.

"Give her a break Shinji," Love said looking up from that month's Jump. "She's got a life outside of us you know." The blond sighed and got to his feet. Shoving his hands in his pockets he made his way to the roof of the warehouse for some fresh air.

Once he was up there he sighed heavily and leaned his head back so he was looking up at the clouds. _Stupid girl probably got lost, _he thought as he closed his eyes and let the soft breeze play with his hair. He'd only been up there five minutes when his cell phone started to ring. Checking the screen he found that it was Tori. Sighing he flipped the phone open.

"Where're ya?" he asked, trying not to sound too pissed off but at the same time let her know that that he was irritated. All of his anger dissipated when the other end of the line was filled with a painful sounding cough, accompanied by several wheezing breaths.

"Tori?" Shinji ventured softly.

"Sorry," a raspy, yet undeniably Tori, voice said. "'m not gonna be able to make it to trainin' today. Promise I'll be there tomorrow." Shinji flinched slightly when she said that, guilt weighing heavily on his shoulders for thinking badly of her.

"It's ok, don't worry about it," he said. "Get some rest." This was added softly right before he hung up. The vizard stood there for a few seconds, phone still in hand and starting at it intently, before turning sharply on his heel and heading back inside. Grabbing his long grey coat and zanpakuto from his room, he headed for the exit.

"Oi, Shinji!" Hiyori called from the second floor.

"I'll be back sometime tomorrow," the blond replied with a wave from over his shoudler, his stride never slowing.

It didn't take him long to find her apartment since he already knew she lived near Ichigo. Shunpoing across rooftops also helped. As Shinji had expected the window to her room was open. Not only that, he saw that she was curled up in her bed asleep. Smiling softly, he entered through the open window soundlessly and crossed the small room to her sleeping figure. Her cheeks were flushed slightly and her black hair was all awry. Brushing the tips of his fingers against her messy hair he wasn't surprised when she stirred, she had always been a light sleeper.

Shifting under the covers slightly she opened her eyes a little and blinked several times. She felt someone in the room with her but she was too tired to tell exactly who, so she guessed.

"Shinji?" she rasped out, unable to hide the hopefulness in it.

"Yah, it's me," the blond said as he leaned his katana against the wall next to her window. "God ya look awful." Even in her sickened state she could imagine the grin on his face. Glaring up at him she tried to look angry but seeing the soft look in his eyes just made her sigh and brush off the comment.

"Gonna get sick if you stay," the young woman mumbled into her covers. Shinji simply shrugged as he toed off his shoes, draped his jacket over the back of the chair at her desk and took off his tie. Sitting on the edge of the bed he rested the back of his hand against her forehead. Sure enough she had a fever and, judging by the amount of blankets she had on her, chills as well.

"And to think that I was worried about ya gettin' lost," he said with a soft laugh as he lifted up the covers and snuggled in close to her. Tori immediately curled in close to him, his **reitsu warm and comforting. Shinji rolled his eyes at her but couldn't stop the small smile that tugged at the corners of his mouth.**

"I'll have to get 'lost' more often," was her cheeky reply, a small smirk playing across her face. The response she got was a playful smack atop her head from the vizard.


	5. Degrees

**D****egrees **(890)

Spring had come and gone and summer was in full swing in Karakura Town. Normally this would be fine, except for the fact that it was a blistering 97 degrees in the sun, the shade not being any cooler. It was especially bad for the vizards, being as their warehouse had no air conditioning to speak of. The heat was making everyone grouchy, even Hachi was short on patience.

"Ok that's it," a certain black haired human said aloud as she descended the stairs from the second floor. "I can't stay here in this sweat box, I'm going out."

"Where? It's hot as hell outside," Hiyori said from her supine position on the concrete floor.

"Anywhere's better then being stuck in a warehouse with a bunch of cranky old vizards," was the blue eyed woman's sharp reply as she stormed out.

Tori huffed in frustration as she strolled down the sidewalk. _Damn it's hot, _she thought with an outward sigh as she looked up at the cloudless sky, her pace remaining the same. As she walked she tried to think of a good place to cool off. After several minutes of debating her options she decided on Urahara's shop, it wasn't particularly well air conditioned but he did sell a little ice cream during the hot weeks of summer. Just as she was about to turn and head in the direction of said blond's shop, she realized her feet had taken her to a section of the park that the river ran through.

The blue eyed woman took in her surroundings and found that the area was nice and shaded, the thick canopy of leaves overhead blocking out most of the harsh sunlight. _This works._ Sliding off her confining shoes and socks she then rolled up her kaki capris a little and walked over to the edge of the stream. Just as she was about to test the water with a foot…

"Hey." Tori gasped in surprise and whirled around, but only got half way before she lost her footing. Falling backward into the water she only had enough time to make out a familiar head of blond hair. The water wasn't even up to her knees but it was enough to get her pants and half of her shirt soaking wet.

The back haired human sat in the water and glared daggers up at Shinji. The vizard had the decency to look ashamed. An apologetic smile spread across his face as he rubbed the back of his neck. Tori wasn't buying it though, she knew that he knew she was easily startled. His light brown eyes met her icy blue ones and he flinched slightly at her look.

"Aw, come on, Tori," he said as he extended a hand to help her up. "It was an accident." A blue eye twitched. She reached up and grasped his hand firmly.

"Like hell it was," she said as she yanked him into the river. A satisfied smirk spread across her face when Shinji complained, loudly, about how she just ruined his new pants and shirt.

"Oh, shut up, you big baby," Tori said as she got to her feet unsteadily, her clothes weighing her down uncomfortably. Expecting some sort of immature comeback she was surprised when there wasn't one. Turning to face him she found that his eyes were glued to her chest.

"Wha-?" It was when she looked down that she remembered she was wearing a white shirt. Blushing profusely in embarrassment and anger she kicked the blond in the face and made her way up the bank.

"Tori, look I'm sorry," the vizard said as he scrambled up the bank.

"Fuck you Shinji," she hissed out angrily, casting him a frigid glare over her shoudler. Apparently the heat made her short tempered as well. Again Shinji flinched, this time at the angry spike in her **reitsu but as soon as it came it was gone. A tired looked flitted across the young woman's face as she sat with her back to the tree, arms across her chest. **

**"Hey," the lean vizard said kneeling in front of her. It was only then that he noticed the pink that had come to the black haired woman's face, whether it was form the heat or something else he didn't know. Deciding to be bold, he placed a hand on her cheek and made her look at him. Leaning forward he brushed his lips against hers, testing her reaction. Tori's ice blue eyes widened at the gesture and tried to pull away but Shinji's grip was unyielding.**

**"Shinji stop," she said, still trying to get free of his hold.**

**"Why?" he asked softly as he brushed his lips against her neck, kissing it softly. "I'm just tryin' to apologize." The blue eyed woman was unable to stop the pink on her cheeks turning into a blush, or the soft gasp that escaped her lips. Shinji grinned broadly when he heard that and pressed more of his hot body against hers. Tori squirmed at the invasion but didn't try to get away.**

**"Apologize my ass," she said half angrily, the blush still on her cheeks as she let her arms wrap around his neck, burying her face in the crook of his shoudler. Neither of them noticed how it didn't seem so hot anymore.**


	6. Seize the Day

**Seize the D****ay** (748)

"SHINJI, GET UP!" Tori yelled as she banged her fist on the door to the ex-Shinigami's room. Said vizard was supposed to help her train today and they were supposed to start at twelve. It was well after one.

"HIRAKO, IF YOU DON'T OPEN THIS DOOR I SWEAR TO GOD I'LL BLAST IT OFF ITS HINGES!" There was the sound of rusting fabric and a soft groan from the other side of the door. The young woman's eye twitched.

"Fine then," as she said that she held out her right hand and placed the other behind it. "Way of Distruction #31 Shakka-!" She was cut off by the door to Shinji's room opening suddenly.

"Geez Tori ya don't have to threaten me with kido," the blond said rubbing his eyes tiredly. Somewhere in the back of the black haired woman's mind she noted that the vizard was shirtless but she was too pissed to really care at the moment.

"Oh really?" she snapped back as she lowered her hands, the red glow subsiding. "I've got one thing to say to that."

"Oh?" Shinji said, his usual grin spreading across his face. "Care to share?" The blond leaned in closer to her upon saying this. Tori placed a finger on his chest.

"Sho," she said flatly, ice blue eyes narrowed ever so slightly. The former captain's light brown ones widened as a pulse of powerful reitsu hurled him across his room and into the nearest wall. The young woman couldn't help but smirk in a self satisfied fashion as she folded her arms across her chest and leaned on the doorframe.

Her smirk slowly faded when she heard Shinji let out a hiss of pain as he struggled to get to his feet. Apparently she had really hurt him. Sighing guiltily she crossed the room and helped the tall male to his feet and to his bed. As she let him lean on her for support her brain then decided to let her realize that he was still shirtless, and quite warm at that. Feeling a strong blush make its way across her cheeks she sat him on his bed.

"Geeze Shinji, what'll the others think?" she said as she tried to force the blood from her face. "You're letting yourself get beat up by a girl, a human one at that." The vizard managed to let out a laugh but winced slightly at the jolt of pain that shot up his spine. This didn't go unnoticed by Tori and she glanced at his back where a good sized bruise was already starting to form on his lower back.

"Lay on your stomach," she said.

"Wha?" the blond said in a confused tone.

"Damn it Shinji just do it," she half growled as she shoved him so he was lying on the bed. The older did as she ordered and waited for he didn't know what. Just as he was about to say something he felt her reitsu spike and a warm sensation on his back. She was healing him. _When did Hachi teach her healin' spells? _hewondered. The brown eyed vizard wanted to say something but the feeling of Tori's spiritual energy mixing with his own was a heady sensation, causing him to be uncharacteristically silent.

Shinji was snapped out of his pleasure filled stupor when the pleasant feeling suddenly ceased and he felt the young woman's spiritual pressure drop significantly. Sitting up, vaguely noticing that his back didn't hurt, he saw Tori sitting there with a fine sheen of sweat on her brow and her hands were trembling noticeably, not to mention the fact that her breathing was a little more labored then the vizard liked. Reaching out to touch her, he was cut short by the young woman suddenly leaning forward and resting her head in the crook of his neck.

"Sorry I hurt you," the young woman murmured into his bare flesh. A typical Shinji smirk spread across the blond's face as he wrapped his arms around her and eased the two of them back onto his bed. Tori nuzzled his neck and curled in closer to him.

"I guess I'll have to make sure to over sleep more often," he purred still smirking. The response he got was a frosty glare from the black haired human in his arms. A low laugh vibrated in his chest as he kissed her forehead and let his warm reitsu envelop them as they both drifted asleep.


	7. Opposite

**Opposite**(595)

The former captain of the fifth division sat on the roof of the warehouse and stared out at the horizon. The sun had just started to set so the sky was a brilliant display of red, yellow, pink and even a little dark blue. Mashiro and Hachi had left to pick up some dinner about five minutes ago. This left Love, Kensei, Hiyori, Lisa, Rose and Tori, along with himself, in the warehouse. _Tori, _Shinji mused as he found his thoughts drifting towards the young woman. She really was a puzzle, not just her spiritual pressure but her personality as well.

The eight vizards had been training her for almost three weeks now and she had gradually become more and more comfortable around all of them. However, Shinji noticed that the young woman's personality around him ranged from one extreme to the other. One minute she would be nice and the next she would beating the crap out of him.

Shinji's thoughts were interrupted by the door to the roof creaking open, looking to his right he saw that it was none other then Tori. Blue eyes met brown and she smiled. _Damn she has a cute smile, _the blond thought as he smiled back.

"Hey," she said. "It's a little cold out so I thought you might like a little something to warm up." As she said that she offered him a mug of steaming hot tea. The vizard was surprised by this gesture and apparently it showed on his face. Even in the dim lighting of the setting sun Shinji could see the blush on her cheeks.

"What, I can't be nice once in awhile?" she said defensively.

"No, no it's fine," he said letting a smile creep across his face as he took the mug and turned his attention back to the sunset. It was out of the corner of his eye that he saw Tori turn to leave.

"A sunset's always nicer when shared with someone," he said offhandedly as he sipped on the hot beverage. The young woman looked back over her shoulder as she shoved her hands in her pockets to keep them warm.

"Is that an invitation or are you simply stating a fact?" she asked. Said man simply closed his eyes and shrugged his shoulder's noncommittally, a barely noticeable smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. The black hired woman sighed loudly as she rolled her eyes at the blond. Turning back around she took a seat beside him.

The two of them sat in silence for a few moments, just as the sun dipped below the horizon. It was then that Shinji noticed Tori rubbing her hands together to keep them warm.

"Here," he said as he sat down the partially filled mug and wrapped his warm hands around hers. The younger stilled suddenly and her head snapped up so her eyes were level with the vizard's. The older of the two waited for it. He waited for her to jerk away and punch him in the face much like she had in the past, but it never came. Instead she blushed and averted her sky blue eyes from his light brown ones.

"You could've given me the mug to hold," she half mumbled, the blush on her cheeks deep. A soft laugh escaped the former shinigami's lips as he scooted closer to her.

"But this is so much better, don't ya think?" the blond asked, a soft grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. There was a heavy pause between them.

"Yeah…it is."


	8. Passions Run

**Passions Run**(787)

Tori braced herself against the shower wall with both hands as she let the water beat down on her. Her short black hair was plastered to her head and the water was hot, so hot it was turning her fair skin an angry red. Yet she made no move to turn down the temperature, she just stood there. Forcing herself to move, she shut off the water and wrapped a towel around her midsection.

Emerging from the bathroom she let out a weary sigh and, for once, was glad to be back in her small apartment. Drying off she then got dressed in a pair of comfortable sleep pants and a t-shirt. Deciding to make herself a cup of tea she made her way to the kitchen. After filling the teapot with water and putting it on the burner to boil, she then reached into the cabinet closest to her and pulled out a small tin of tea leaves. Measuring out what was needed, she frowned when she realized that her hands were trembling. Glaring at them she tried to get them to stop but only succeeded in making it worse.

"Fuck," she cursed, angrily slamming her hands on the counter to make them stop. They stopped, but her eyes started to sting with unshed tears as a replacement. Balling her hands into fists she clenched her ice blue eyes shut, forcing the tears back. _This is just pathetic, _the young woman thought bitterly as she removed the water from the stove, not trusting her hands to pour it into a mug and not all over herself.

Having nothing to occupy her mind, it started to wander to what had happened earlier that night. Tori's heart started to pound in her chest as bits of memories flashed through her minds eye, glowing yellow eyes, a bone chilling roar- the young woman's eyes snapped open when her cell phone started to ring. Thankful for the distraction, she quickly crossed the room to her bed, grabbed it and read the name across the screen. Sighing she flipped the phone open.

"What Shinji?" she asked as she rubbed her eyes and sat on her bed, trying to hide the fact that she was relieved that he called.

"Oh so ya're awake," he said in a surprised tone. Tori's eye twitched.

"Of course I'm awake you idiot it's only," she checked the time. "3 a.m.?" _Guess I was in the shower longer then I thought._

"I tried callin' ya a few hours ago but ya didn't pick up, so I figured ya were already asleep," the vizard explained.

"Sorry, I was in the shower," was the young woman's response as she looked out the window at the dark early morning sky.

"For two hours?" There was a heavy pause between the two of them. "Tori?" Just the way Shinji said her name cause tears to come to the young woman's eyes once more. She opened her mouth to respond but was unable to stop the soft sob that escaped her lips. That was all Shinji needed.

"I'll be right there," he said softly.

It took the vizard all of five minutes to get to Tori's apartment. As he stood on the roof of the adjacent building he saw that the window was open, as always, with the blinds pulled slightly to the side. Climbing in through the window he quickly scanned the small apartment and frowned at what he saw. The young woman sat on her bed, back to the headboard and her knees drawn to her chest. She looked so much like a scared little kid it made his heart ache.

"Hey," he said softy, so as to get her attention and not scare her. Tori's head snapped up and her tear filled sky blue eyes met his brown ones. The next thing Shinji knew he had his arms wrapped around her and was holding her tightly to his chest. The younger of the two was surprised by this at first but quickly recovered and clung to his shirt as she buried her face in his shoulder, noticeably shaking.

"Shhhhhhh," the blond whispered, pulling her closer to him. "Ya're alright, I got ya." _It was too early to take her on patrol, _Shinji thought as he mentally kicked himself repeatedly. The two of them sat like that for several minutes, neither showing signs of moving. Shinji's eyelids became heavy and drooped slightly but he was snapped back awake when Tori spoke.

"Hey."

"Hm?"

"You tell anyone I cried I'll kick your ass." A low laugh rumbled deep in the vizard's chest as he tightened his hold on the young woman and kissed her forehead tenderly.

"I wouldn't dream of it."


	9. Connection

**Connection**(693)

Shinji sat on the edge of his bed and watched Tori sleep. It had been a close call, for both of them. Sighing, the blond ran a hand through his hair. Lisa had mentioned it to him in the past but he paid it little, if any, attention. He didn't want it to be true. This young woman that they had taken in was already out of the ordinary the last thing they, no _Shinji_, needed was for her to become attached to him. However, after that nights attack he could no longer ignore it. Letting out another sigh the vizard rested his head in his hands as he closed his eyes, the events of a few hours ago re-playing through his mind.

_Shinji was so busy fighting the other __Fracción__ around him that he failed to notice when one snuck up behind him. A blinding pain shot through his back as a blade sliced through his shirt and cut into his skin. Whipping around to attack, he was rewarded with a cero at almost point blank range. Barely having enough time to put his mask on he was able to deflect some of the blast. Face contorted in pain he fell from the air and the concrete below him caught his body with a resounding thud. Zanpakuto still drawn, the blond was able to quickly roll onto his back and defend himself against the charging __Fracción__. Closing his eyes, Shinji braced himself for the attack. However it never came. _

_Opening his eyes he had just enough time to see the low level arrancar being thrown back by a barrier that had appeared around him. The vizard's brown eyes went wide when he saw this. _A barrier? A red one? _Turning slightly to his left he saw Tori, her back to him, with a hand thrust behind her in his direction. She wasn't even looking in his direction and yet she _knew _that he was in danger and was able to create and cast a spell to protect him._ There's no way she should be this advanced, _no sooner had he thought that, Tori whirled around and fired a level 88 kidou at the __Fracción that had attacked him.__ It was then that he saw the black haired woman's eyes. Instead of their normal ice blue, they were now a soft purple color, not to mention the fact that the seal around her neck was glowing a brilliant red as it struggled to control her reitsu._

"_Tori-"he sais softly, eyes still wide with shock._

"_You idiot!" she snapped, cutting the vizard off as she stormed over to him. "What were you thinking? Leaving your back open like that." The younger chastised as she worked on healing the still bleeding gash his back while the others fought off the remaining arrancars. Shinji couldn't help but let his signature grin spread across his face when she said that. He also noted that her eyes were back to their usual color and the seal around her neck was no longer glowing._

"_How'd ya know I was in trouble?" the blond asked after a few seconds. Confused blue eyes met brown._

"_What do you mean? You're the one that called out to me," she said knitting her brow at him. Just as Shinji opened his mouth to say 'no'…_

"_Tori look out!" Love yelled from above. Said woman didn't even have enough time to turn around before a katana was stabbed through her shoudler._

Shinji opened his eyes and looked over the young woman in front of him. Hachi had healed what he could and bound the rest of her shoudler. Her skin had regained a little of its former color and her breathing had evened out, but her reitsu was still pretty low and would remain that way for at least another day. Running a hand through Tori's short black hair he let a small smile tug at the corner of his lips. The vizard worried about this strange new connection between them, how it would effect her training, possible side effects, controlling it…and yet he couldn't help but secretly hope that it would get stronger.


	10. Lull and Storm

**L****ull and Storm **(230)

Shinji cursed the God's as he ran to the nearest tree for protection against the rain. His cursing was interrupted by the sounds of Tori's laughter reaching his ears. The young woman was soaked to the bone but made no attempts to get out of the weather. The rain was warm and the younger of the two had no problem with getting a little, or as the case was really, wet.

"Relax Shinji, its just a little rain," she said with a smirk, her blue eyes sparking despite the lack of sunlight. "It's not like you're gonna melt."

"Sugar melts in the rain," the blond replied with a smug grin shrugging his shoulders. Tori let out a laugh.

"Yah well so does shit," she replied with a smirk.

"If that's the case then ya better come here before ya wash away," the blond said leaning against the base of the tree, his usual grin spreading across his face. The black haired woman rolled her eyes at him playfully, and yet she complied.

"I guess I should, since you'd be lonely without me," saying this she sat on the ground beside him and leaned against the tree as well. Shinji let a low laugh escape his lips as he sat down as well.

"Just a little," he said softly as he draped an arm over Tori's shoudler and pulled her close.


	11. Animal

**Animal **(1,532)

It was rare for Shinji to meditate, and when he did it had all the other vizards on edge. They knew that if something was bothering the former fifth division captain to that extent, then it had to be serious. The blond sat in the middle of the training ground under the warehouse with his zanpakuto in his lap and his eyes closed.

As the blond was meditating he felt his inner hollow tugging at his mind, trying to pull him to his inner world. Frowning in annoyance, he tried to block him out but was failing. Apparently his hollow was fed up with being ignored by his 'king'. With a final yank Shinji was yanked head first into his inner world. Hitting the ground with a thud, he growled in annoyance as he sat himself up.

"Yo," a slightly distorted, yet all too familiar, voice said. The blond vizard turned to his right slightly and his brown eyes came to rest on a pair of black and gold ones framed by a head of white hair.

"It's been awhile, _Shinji_," the hollow said, a slightly psychotic grin plastered across his face. It had been a good several weeks since the ex-shinigami had made contact with his hollow, and for good reason. It was those few weeks ago that he had met Tori. If Shinji knew anything about his hollow, and he did, he knew that he would find the young woman extremely interesting. Shinji learned long ago that whenever _he _became interested in something…it never ended well. It was because of this that the blond had been keeping his hollow on a very tight leash, limiting him severely to what he could hear and see from the inner world.

"What do ya want Ji?" Shinji growled out. The vizard had decided a long time ago to name his hollow, and an abbreviation of his name felt strangely appropriate. The white copy of him leaned in close, much too close for the ex-shinigami's liking.

"Ye're hidin' somethin' from me," Ji said, his typical psychotic grin still on his face. There was a heavy pause between the two of them, neither moving away from the other. Just as Shinji was about to tell Ji to back off, they both heard it.

"Hey, Shinji," the all too familiar voice of Tori could be heard in the ex-captain's inner world. Ji knew the other vizard's that lived in the warehouse, but he didn't know this voice. Before Shinji could suppress his white counterpart, said hollow pushed his 'king' down and took over.

"DAMN IT JI!" the later of the two yelled angrily.

It was going on seven in the evening and Mashiro and Hachi had just come back with dinner. Everyone had been getting ready to eat when then black haired woman realized that Shinji was nowhere to be found. Upon asking Kensei she was told that he was in the training room underground. Descending the stairs to the dirt packed floor and poorly painted room she saw the blond sitting in the middle of the room, his katana in his lap.

"Hey, Shinji," no sooner had she said that she felt a drastic change in the vizard's reitsu. Stopping dead in her tracks, her body tensed reflexively. Watching the older get to his feet she let out an audible gasp when he turned and faced her. Black and gold met ice blue. Tori had seen those eyes before, but never without the mask that was supposed to accompany them. This wasn't the stupid bastard that she'd come tell dinner was ready.

"Who're you?" she demanded in a hard tone. "Where's Shinji?" The man in front of her let a high pitched, almost giggle like, laugh escape his mouth.

"'m called many things," he said, examining the katana in his right hand. "But ya can call me Ji. As for my _king_, he's a li'l preoccupied at he moment. What say we get better…_acquainted_?" He lunged at her, fully prepared to impale her with the zanpakuto. Shinji saw this and panicked. They had been training her almost everyday for several weeks now, and she was learning fast, but she was nowhere _near _the same level as them or even a hollow for that matter.

"_Tori!" _Shinji yelled as he tried to regain control over his own body, his reitsu spiking in anger, but to no avail. All he could do was watch. Said woman's sky blue eyes narrowed at Ji and dodged the attack at the last moment. A small smirk tugged at the corner of her lips when the hollow's eyes widened slightly, clearly not expecting this, but it was only for a split second. He quickly changed tactics and swung to the right. The blade was mere centimeters from her neck when the katana slammed into a shield.

"Tch," Ji snorted in disappointment as he jumped back a few feet. "So ya can move and create shields, congrats." As he said that he slung the soul slayer over his shoulder in a very Shinji like manner as a smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. Expecting another attack, the black haired woman's body tensed and she got into a fighting stance. This caused his smirk to turn into a full blown grin, teeth and all.

"I gotta admit though," he said suddenly. "Ye're not the kind Shinji usually goes for." Ji's grin widened at the looked that flitted across her face but as suddenly as it came, it was gone. The hollow circled the young woman lazily, sword still on his shoulder, raking his eyes over her body. Shinji knew what he was doing and knew that Tori would snap before long.

"Nothin' special to look at," he drawled. "Short, not skinny, small chest…" Blue eyes flashed angrily and her body tensed, her reitsu rising in response to her emotions.

"_Ji, DON'T," _Shinji said in a hard and warning tone, knowing very well where his hollow was going with this. This just caused the golden eyed man to grin inwardly and suppress the vizard even more.

"But that doesn' mean _I_ don' like ya," no sooner had he said that he had Tori pinned against the nearest boulder, hands above her head.

"Let go of me you sick bastard!" she yelled, fighting against his vice-like grip. Ji grinned and nuzzled her neck, inhaling her scent and raking his teeth over the sensitive skin on her neck. Tori's eyes were screwed shut as she tried to concentrate on creating a kidou spell but the feeling of not-Shinji's hands on her was too much to bear.

"Don' try and fight me," the hollow purred in her ear. "Ye're just a defenseless human." The next thing Ji knew he was being hurled across the room by a powerful blast of reitsu.

"_Shit," _Shinji swore.

"Defenseless?" Tori growled. "Defenseless? I'll show you defenseless!" Yelling that she sprinted to where Ji was laying prone on the floor and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. Black and gold eyes widened when he saw her pull back and had a fist collide with his face, several times. Shinji noticed the seal around her neck glowing a soft red but he couldn't bring himself to care at the moment. He couldn't have been more proud of her for putting his hollow back in his place. Taking that opportunity to get his body back he was greeted by a fist being slammed into his face with surprising force. _Damn I didn' know she could hit so damn hard._

"Tor-," he tried to get her attention when she pulled back but was rewarded with another hit to the face. "Tori! TORI!" He yelled as he grabbed her hand. Blue eyes met familiar brown and a flurry of emotion's passed over them, but the one that grabbed his attention right away was relief. Once Shinji was convinced that he was no longer on danger of having his face beaten in, though he was sure she had already gotten in more then a few good punches, he released her wrist and sat up a little.

"Tori-" he was cut off by a slap across the face. "Damn it wha' the hell?" He demanded holding his burning cheek. Looking back at her he saw her eyes were watery with unshed tears. Just as he was about to say something, he was surprised when Tori clung to the front of his slightly bloodied shirt and buried her face in it. She made no noise, but he knew that she was crying. The vizard's gaze softened and he wrapped his long arms around her trembling frame and pulled her close.

There was so much that Shinji wanted to tell her: that he _did _find her attractive, and that she _wasn't _a defenseless human, but it just didn't feel like the right time. He was exhausted from trying to repossess his body and the fact that Tori had clocked him several times didn't help the matter. Sighing he rested his chin on top of her head and had just closed his eyes when he heard an all too familiar laugh.

"_And ya say I'm an animal.__"_


	12. We All Float On

**We All Float On** (594)

A certain blond vizard was lying on his back on the roof of the warehouse watching the clouds roll by when the door creaked open. Rolling his head to the side he saw a familiar pair of pale blue eyes meet his.

"Yo," the former captain said in greeting as he sat up, his signature grin spreading across his face. Tori tried to smile but came out as more of a grimace then anything. Frowning upon seeing this, Shinji motioned for her to take a seat beside him. Normally the young woman would've turned down the offer, but today wasn't a normal day. Sitting down beside the vizard she leaned against his shoudler. The unusually affectionate gesture caught the former shinigami off guard but he quickly recovered. Something was definitely wrong. Draping an arm over her shoudler he pulled her close and leaned his head against hers.

"Wha's wrong?" he asked in a soft tone as he carded one hand through her short hair. There was a heavy pause between the two of them, but Shinji could see the gears turning in the young woman's head as she tried to figure out how to say whatever it was that was bothering her.

"When I die-" Tori was cut off by the blond suddenly tightening his hold on her, clearly not liking where this conversation was heading.

"Tori-"

"Shinji I want to know," she countered, knowing very well that the tawny eyed male behind her knew where she was going with this. "When I die…will I go to Soul Society?" She would never admit it aloud, but she hated the idea of being separated from the man that currently had one arm around her for any length of time longer then two days. The young woman didn't protest when the vizard pulled her into his lap, nor when he wrapped both arms around her and pulled her so close that her back was flush against his chest.

"Yes," the blond whispered into the black haired woman's ear as he held her close. There was another heavy silence between them.

Shinji had long ago explained Soul Society to her and that it was very likely she would become a shinigami when she died because of her powerful reiatsu. She would go through the training at the academy, graduate and be placed into a division depending on the skills she possessed. The blond couldn't help but let a small smile tug at the corner of his mouth as he thought about Tori in the academy. With all the intense physical training and kidou lessons they had been putting her through she would have a leg up on all first years and could possibly be placed in the advanced classes. _Maybe even graduate early, _he thought as he intertwined his fingers with hers.

"Guess I better start planning my escape now," the young woman said interrupting the blond vizard's thoughts. Shinji looked down at her like she had grown a second head. Tori felt this and turned in his lap so she was facing him, her light blue eyes locking with his brown ones.

"What? Do you honesty expect me to _stay _in Soul Society?" she said raising an eyebrow at the former captain. "There's _nothing _for me there." _Everything I need is right here. _She didn't say it aloud but Shinji knew that's what she was really saying. A small smile spread across the vizard's face as he pulled her into a gentle hug and rested his chin atop her head. _I could say the same thing._


	13. Duty

**Duty **(704)

To say that Shinji didn't miss being the captain of the fifth squad wouldn't be entirely true, but it wouldn't be false either. He missed having minions to do his bidding, the freedom to go and do as he pleased and the general camaraderie there was in a division to name a few. Though, he sure as hell didn't miss the endless paperwork, or Yamamoto's impromptu tea ceremonies that he held exclusively for the captains.

The ex-shinigami let out a sigh as he leaned back against the wall and closed the book he had been trying to read as he sat on his bed. Glancing at the clock on the table beside him he realized that it was going on 1 a.m. and he still had on his slacks, dress shirt and tie. Rubbing his eyes tiredly, he glanced at the young woman that had been reading beside him and a small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. She had fallen asleep, her book still in hand but long forgotten beside her. Shinji got to his feet, careful not to disturb the young woman beside him, and grabbed a pair of black sweatpants from his dresser.

The vizard made his way to the small bathroom connected to his room and he couldn't help but laugh softly. He had no problems changing clothes in front of Tori, even while she slept, but the young woman had a very big problem with it. The first time she fell asleep in Shinji's room he got up and was changing into his sleep clothes when she woke only to see the blond wearing nothing but his boxers. The former captain swore that her scream could be heard all the way to Soul Society. Ever since then he changed in the bathroom as he brushed his teeth for the night.

Now in his undershirt and sleep pants, the blond draped his collared shirt and tie over the back of the chair at his desk and made his way back to his bed. Tori had shifted in her sleep so she was now on her side snuggling with one of the vizard's pillows. A small smile spread across Shinji's face when he saw this and couldn't find it in himself to wake her and send her to her own room. Picking up the book that was sandwiched between her and the bed she stirred a little but didn't wake. Sitting it on the bedside table, he pulled the spare blanket at the foot of the bed over her. Once under his own covers, the blond let out a sigh as he closed his eyes and let his body drift off to sleep.

Not even a minute later, there was the familiar sensation of someone pressing against his back. Cracking an eye open, the former captain glanced over his shoulder only to see Tori cuddling against his back. The young woman opened her bleary pale blue eyes and blinked several times, clearly not remembering where she was or _who _she was curled up next to. It never occurred to him, or any of the others, that she would be a snuggler when she slept.

"Shinji?" she mumbled sleepily, knitting her eyebrows together as her mind tried to piece everything together. The vizard let out a soft sigh as he rolled onto his other side so he was facing her.

"Come on sleepyhead," Shinji said playfully as he pulled back his covers, letting her crawl in beside him. Lying on his side with Tori curled up against his chest he smiled softly as he wrapped his arms around her protectively and pulled her close.

With all the horrible things that had happened to the former captain of the fifth division: Aizen's betrayal, almost getting turned into a hollow, Soul Society's plan to execute them, hiding in the human world, the fast approaching war…with Tori asleep in his arms he couldn't help but find it all worth it in the end. Closing his light brown eyes he rested his chin on her head lightly. Sure he knew that she would beat the shit out of him for this in the morning but for the moment, all was right in the world.


End file.
